Marble shooter



Sept. 6, 1938.

E. A. BOE'RGER MARBLE SHOOTER Filed Jan. 19, 1938 wrmsssss v INVENTOR I i if EH/ZBoer ger I BY ATTO RNEYS Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a marble shooter and has for its object to produce a simple and effective device adapted to receive and forcibly expel or project a marble in any direction desired.

To the above ends the invention consists of a marble shooter comprising a holding and expulsion chamber having means for yieldingly engaging a marble to hold it in said chamber and having below said chamber manually compressible outwardly diverging or flaring actuators defining a loading chamber communicating with the holding and expulsion chamber and provided with abutments at the junction of the chambers to yieldingly resist the entrance of the marble into the holding and expulsion chamber and to apply expelling force to themarble to force it out of the holding and expulsion chamber.

The invention further consists of a pair of resilient loops or members having means for engaging and holding the marble, said loop members extending parallel to each other and spaced apart with the lower ends diverging; the upper ends forming a marble holding and guiding means and the lower ends defining a marble opening or inlet and cooperating with the parallel loops at the upper end to forcibly eject the marble and project it in any direction.

It further consists of a marble shooter having yielding detents to hold the marble between the guiding and holding loops at the upper end.

The present invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which-- Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the marble shooter about to receive a marble;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line .33 in Fig. 4., with the marble in position in the expulsion chamber;

Fig. iis a front elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a side elevation of the device as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in operation with the marble about to be expelled in the direction of the arrow shown;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the parts as shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the parts completely compressed and the marble expelled or discharged therefrom as indicated by the arrow;

Fig. 8 shows a front elevation of a modified form of the device;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig, 10 shows a cross section through one of the flaring actuators.

Similar reference characters will be employed to designate corresponding parts.

The device comprises an upper marble holding 5 and expelling chamber I at its upper end and a loading guide or chamber 2 at its lower end.

' As shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the device is made of a single length of spring wire bent to form loops 3 at the upper end of parallel substantially straight side bars 4 which at their lower ends form loops 5 which are disposed in a plane at right angles to the plane of the loops 3, the loops 5 diverging from a point approximately equi-distant from the opposite ends of the struc- 5 ture, and adapted to be manually compressed to expel the marble held in the chamber l.

The upper loops 3 and the lower loops 5 are of substantially equal width, the loops '3 extending in spaced parallel relation to each other, while the loops 5 also of substantially equal width diverge laterally in opposite directions below the junction between the loops. The frame thus formed of resilient wire when free from pressure will normally assume the position shown in Figs. 1 and-2, but may be expanded and contracted below the upper ends of the loops 3 as will be hereinafter set forth.

The loops 5 carry actuating finger rests or pressure plates 6, preferably made of some suitable resilient sheet metal, and are secured to the parallel side bars of the loops 5 by having its edges rolled about said side bars as indicated at I.

The plates 5 carry at their upper ends yielding tongues 8 extending upward between the side bars 4 (as shown in Fig. 2). The extreme upper ends of the tongues 8 are narrowed and rounded as indicated at 9. Also preferably the rounded. and tapered ends 9 will be bent or flared outwardly (as indicated in Figs. 1, 3, 5 and '7). The tongues 8 are provided with struck-up sockets lilarranged to engage and securely but yieldingly hold the marble in the marble holding and expelling chamber l comprising the loops 3 and the spring tongues 8. 4.5

As indicated in Fig. 3, when the marble has been forced into the chamber I in position to be engaged by the sockets in of the tongues 8, the loops 3 will have been expanded as compared with Fig. l, and the loops 5 and plates 5 spaced apart so that the device, when loaded by the insertion of a marble to be expelled and projected, will yieldingly contact the marble, and the pressure on the marble will firmly hold it in proper position. The insertion. of the marble not only is resisted by the inherent resiliency of the wire loops and the holding tongues 8, but the spreading of the loops 3 of necessity produces a slight spreading laterally of the pairs of loops 3 away from each other (as indicated in Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawing) In forcing the marble into firing position in the chamber I, it must pass the angular abutments I I at the junction of the two sets of loops 3 and 5. The passing of the abutments i I by the marble, as it is forced through the receiving chamber 2 to the holding and projecting chamber I, causes parts of the frame below the upper ends of the loops 3 to spread and diverge laterally until the marble has passed above the abutments II and is seated in the sockets Ill of the tongues 3.

When loaded and set for operation (as shown in Fig. 3) it will be noted that the marble will be in contact with the side bars 4 of the loops 3 and the yielding socketed tongues 8, and that this contact with the marble of these elements will be at points slightly below or at an equatorial line.

When the flaring ends of the loops 5 are drawn together (as indicated in Fig. 5) the bars 4 and the tongues 8 change their points of contact gradually (the relatively smooth surface of the spherical marble permitting a sliding contact therewith) to points below the equatorial line (as indicated in Fig. 5) which has a tendency to snap the marble outwardly from the chamber I against the yielding contact of these elements which hold the marble in position, the ejecting pressure being aided by the rounded abutments I I.

When the compression of the device has proceeded to an extent which will overcome the holding contacts of the members 4 of the loops 3 and the resilient tongues 8 (as progressively indicated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7) the marble will be expelled and projected from the chamber I (as clearly indicated in Fig. '7).

In operation the marble is placed in the loading chamber 2 and forced upwardly between the arms of the loops 3 until it is firmly seated in the hold ing and expelling chamber I. To facilitate the operation of loading or inserting the marble, the upper outwardly bent ends of the loops 3 -may be held against the palm of the hand While pressure is applied to the marble to force it into the chamber I to be held therein as set forth. After the marble has been firmly seated in the chamber I (as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4) the diverging ends of the loops 5 may be grasped by the fingers (as shown in Figs. 5 and 6) and compressed or moved towards each other until the compressive action has overcome the pressure of the marble holding means, at which time the marble will be snapped out of the device with considerable force.

In the modified form of the device shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, instead of providing the flexible tongues I2 with sockets, they are provided with spring wire detents I3 forming elongated loops of wire I4 extending from near the top of the tongues I2 to the diverging lower ends of the loops 5 and the pressure plates I5. The wire loops I 4 are secured (as indicated in Figs. 8 and 10) by enclosing a return bend I? of such loops in the rolled over edges of the plates I5. The wire loops I4 are provided with angular bends or abutments I6 coinciding with the abutments in the side bars 4 of the loops 3. The abutments I6 cooperating with the abutments I I form means for holding the marble in the holding and expelling chamber.

The operation of the modified form of the shooter is Very similar to the form hereinbefore described. The marble is forced into the chamber I, thus spreading the loops- 3 causing the abutments I6 and the abutments II to engage the marble at radially disposed points on the marble below the equatorial line. A compression of the device will gradually force the marble upwardly, thus expelling it from the chamber I.

I claim:

1. A marble shooter, comprising a wire frame bent to form pairs of loops disposed in planes at right angles to each other, one pair of loops being spaced apart in parallel relation and the other pair of loops diverging and flaring outwardly from a point substantially equidistant from the ends of the loops, pressure plates carried by said diverging loops, and yielding tongues extending upwardly from said pressure plates to engage and hold a marble between the parallel loops.

2. A marble shooter, such as defined in claim 1, in which the yielding tongues are provided with concave seats to engage a marble and position it between the parallel loop members.

3. A marble shooter, comprising a wire frame bent to form pairs of loops disposed in planes at right angles to each other, one pair of loops being parallel to each other and the other pair of loops diverging and flaring outwardly, pressure plates carrying yielding tongues extending to engage and hold a marble, the upper ends of the pair of parallel loops bent outwardly in a direction at right angles to the diverging ends of the other pair of loops.

4. A marble shooter, comprising a wire frame bent to form pairs of loops disposed in planes at right angles to each other, one pair of loops being parallel to each other and the other pair of loops diverging and flaring outwardly, sheet metal pressure plates secured at their marginal edges to the diverging loops, and yielding tongues projecting from said pressure plates.

5. A marble shooter, comprising a wire frame bent to form pairs of loops disposed in planes at right angles to each other, one pair of loops being parallel to each other and the other pair of loops diverging and flaring outwardly from a point substantially equi-distant from the ends of the loops, the diverging ends of the loops provided with pressure plates carrying yielding tongues extending upwardly therefrom, the yielding tongues being provided with concave seats to engage a marble, and the upper free ends of the tongues diverging outwardly above said concave seats.

6. A marble shooter, comprising an elongated laterally yielding holding and expulsion chamber, oppositely disposed independently movable yielding engaging elements for holding the marble in said holding and expulsion chamber, oppositely disposed outwardly flaring manually compressible actuators defining a loading chamber at the lower end of and communicating with the holding and expulsion chamber, and yielding abutments located at the junction of the holding and expulsion and loading chambers and restricting the passage connecting said chambers.

EARL A. BOERGER. 

